Iran's IRGC is building a 600km security wall 'inside' Iraq, raising sovereignty concerns

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has built a wall extending two kilometres into Iraqi territory and spanning nearly 600 kilometres across the Kurdistan Region. Iraqi authorities deny the wall's construction, which critics say breaches Iraq's sovereignty.

Kurdish sources told The New Arab that the wall aims to restrict the movement of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and prevent weapons smuggling into Iran.

Hassan Qadr Zadeh, a leadership committee member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) based in Iraqi Kurdistan, stated,  "According to our information, Iran has constructed a security wall along its western border with Iraq, and in some areas, the wall extends into Kurdistan Region territory. Iran's stated aim is to prevent activities by Iranian Kurdish opposition parties."

He further specified that the wall includes areas such as Sairanban in the Penjwen district and the border between Banah in Iranian Kurdistan and Iraqi territory.

Qadr Zadeh noted that the wall restricts local Kurdish villagers, limiting their ability to graze cattle and move freely across the land.

Regarding the recent demonstrations, which began in response to rising living costs and have entered a second week, Qadr Zadeh commented, "We should wait, we think the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached its final line, and it is very difficult to survive the current internal turmoil and international pressures"

 Iraqi officials have denied these reports. Brigadier General Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for Iraq’s Interior Ministry, told TNA that the claims are unfounded.

TNA contacted Hemn Ibrahim, the mayor of Penjwen district, who stated he was unaware of the issue and referred inquiries to the Iraqi border guard as the responsible authority.

 The press office of the Iraqi border guard’s first division told TNA that it is not authorised to comment on the matter.

Kamaran Osman, of the International Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), confirmed to TNA that the IRGC has begun constructing a security wall approximately 600 kilometres long and two kilometres deep into Iraqi territory. Standing three meters high and equipped with surveillance equipment, the wall poses a new threat to those living near the border.

Osman added that following the end of the Iran-Israel conflict on 24 June 2025, the IRGC promptly began construction of the wall.

The wall begins at Kelashin Mountain in Sidakan district and extends to the village of Kcham Chaqal on the Garmian border, creating a new boundary across the region.

Some construction materials for the wall are sourced from excavations in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region.

Sections of the wall are now present along the Sairan Band border and behind the villages of Bahe and Shiwagoizan, extending to Maran on the Penjwen border. Osman noted that another section in the Pshdar district is complete, with construction ongoing in other areas.

Osman also reported that Iran has established 151 military bases within the Kurdistan Region. He warned that connecting the wall to these outposts could pose risks to villagers, farmers, and others living near the border.

Osman cautioned that if Iran gains control of the mountains and plains behind the wall, these areas would fall under Iranian authority. This could force villagers to relocate to cities, weaken agriculture and herding, and disrupt the social ties between Kurds in Eastern (Rojhelat) and Southern (Bashur) Kurdistan.

Iran and Iraq signed a border security agreement in March 2023 to strengthen the border between Iran and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

Tehran has launched several deadly missile and drone strikes on bases used by Iranian Kurdish parties in recent years. These strikes occurred shortly after the 2022 protests began in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd arrested for allegedly breaching the Islamic Republic's strict dress code. Tehran accused Kurdish groups in Iraq of fomenting the protests.

Iran also accuses Iranian Kurdish parties of "affiliating" with Israel and has expressed concern over the alleged presence of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Both parties and Iraqi Kurdish officials have denied these accusations.